Due to the pandemic, we want to reduce the burden for customers in two categories, 450 VA and 900 VA.Jakarta (ANTARA) - The government has extended the disbursement of electricity subsidy for PLN customers, whose power consumption falls within the 450-volt ampere (VA) and 900-VA categories, until September 2020.
"In the wake of the pandemic, we are eager to reduce the burden on customers from both the 450-VA and 900-VA categories," Director General of Electricity of the Energy and Mineral Resource Ministry Rida Mulyana stated here on Wednesday.
At least 24 million customers of the state-owned electricity company PLN are households falling in the 450-VA category and 7.3 million customers in the 900-VA category, Mulyana remarked.
Initially, the electricity relief scheme was kicked off in April for a three-month period for the two categories.
Meanwhile, Director of Commercial and Customers Management of PT PLN (Persero) Bob Saril spoke at length on the mechanism to access the government's electricity relief.
"There are many ways for people living in remote areas or in areas with poor internet connectivity to access the electricity token code for free," he revealed.
Firstly, Saril expounded that PLN’s prepaid customers, eligible for the subsidy but residing in remote areas without internet access, can seek assistance from local village officials to record their customer identity number. The officers would help customers to obtain the electricity token code from PLN.
Customers can also telephonically call the PLN contact center 123. People without internet or telephone access can obtain the subsidy directly from the PLN branch offices in their respective regions.
Eligible customers can access the free token code from July 1. Customers from the 450-VA category will receive free electricity, while the 900-VA customers would be able to avail a 50-percent discount.
PLN’s three-month relief scheme since April 1 aims to help 31 million of Indonesia’s poorest households to better deal with the economic shocks of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Rp3.5 trillion (US$223.5 million) relief scheme subsidizes electricity for 11.82 million prepaid and 19.3 million postpaid PLN customers falling in the 450-VA and 900-VA categories.
These customers are already eligible for government-subsidized electricity, but the emergency relief further slashes their bills to 50 percent for 900-VA customers and 100 percent for 450-VA customers. Related news: Ministry holds virtual meeting with PLN customers over bill surge
Related news: 450-VA customers exempted from electricity tariff for three months
Translator: Afut Syafril N, Sri Haryati
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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